Once again, Texas was ranked as the most valuable team in college football. But the Southeastern Conference dominated a list of the top 10. / Brendan Maloney, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Forbes' list of college football's most valuable teams reads like a social register of the sport's blue bloods: Texas, Alabama and Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU and Nebraska, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Due to a combination of history, accomplishment and tradition, these elite programs top the magazine's list of the most financially successful teams in the country.

Forbes' methodology takes into account four components: a team's value to its university, value to its athletic department, value to its conference and value to the surrounding community.

The list also heavily weighs the number of home games a team plays during the regular season, as nearly "every school-specific revenue stream â?? ticket sales, contributions, sponsorships, merchandise â?? is at least partly influenced by a team's number of home games," Forbes writes.

Texas leads the way again, valued at $133 million. The Longhorns also are the most profitable team in the country, making $78 million for the university. In all, however, Forbes' list is dominated by the Southeastern Conference. The league has seven of the top 10 teams and eight of the top 20.

One team that suffered a precipitous drop from last year's list was Penn State, as you might expect. After ranking third in 2011 ($100 million valuation), PSU dropped to 13th ($79 million). "Penn State's severance payments to former football staff and contributions to child abuse initiatives helped drive the team's expenses to $30 million in 2011, up 55% year over year," Forbes writes.

Forbes also looked at the most cost-efficient programs in the FBS â?? those that provided the most "bang for their buck." To do so, the magazine looked at a team's three-year-average of spending per win. Leading the way was Kansas State, which has spent $1.45 million per win over the last three years.

Forbes' list of the seven most cost-efficient teams in the country (list only includes teams from automatic-qualifying conferences):

1. Kansas State: $1.45 million per win2. Stanford: $1.52 million per win3. North Carolina State: $1.58 million per win4. Mississippi State: $1.63 million per win5. Connecticut: $1.73 million per win6. Oregon: $1.79 million per win7. LSU: $1.89 million per win

While Kansas State provides the most bang for its buck, in-state rival Kansas is the least cost-efficient football team in the FBS, per Forbes. The Jayhawks have spent more than $8 million per win over the last three years, $2 million more per win than any other AQ team in the country.